Although it is not a public holiday in Denmark, May 1 marks Arbejdernes Kampdag (Labour Day). In some municipalities, like Copenhagen, it is a mandatory day off for schools. Denmark stands out worldwide for being a good place for labor: in 2023, Copenhagen took third place in the Working Abroad Index, offering expats one of the best ecosystems for work in the world. 85% of people polled declared being happy with their working hours, a reflection of the 37-hour Danish work week, which is very often cut even shorter. Those with local jobs can attest to the great work-life balance of the country, which rarely celebrates extra hours and offers parents the possibility of putting their children as their main priority. How many times have your Danish colleagues left the office at 3pm to pick up their child from daycare? Despite limited working hours (with only 2% of employees working very long hours compared to the OECD average of 11%), Danes are the second-most productive workers in Europe, after Ireland.
On Friday this week, we will also observe World Press Freedom Day, bringing visibility to the importance of transparent journalism and freedom of speech. This is another area in which the country excels, with the Danish press ranking third in the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), only topped by Ireland (#2) and Norway (#1). It is also one of only eight countries globally that fall into the highest category in the ranking, “Good.” To evaluate nations, the WPFI evaluates seven aspects of journalistic work: pluralism (representation of opinions), media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, infrastructure, and abuses.
Denmark’s oldest surviving newspaper piece written in Danish goes back to 1657, and it is an edition of a publication from Ny Affjser. Nowadays, the oldest Danish newspaper that is still in circulation is Berlingske Tidende, founded in 1749. In the broadcast landscape, DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) stands as the oldest and largest electronic media enterprise, celebrating its 100th anniversary next year.
